I've received the schedule of next year's White Nights Festival which will last for 3 whole months. The touring companies include the Royal Ballet, the New York City Ballet, Hamburg Ballet, and the National Ballet of China.

11th International Festival "Stars of the White Nights"
dedicated to the 300TH Anniversary of St Petersburg
May 5 - August 5, 2003
Artistic Director: Valery Gergiev

Monday, May 5 & Tuesday, May 6
Prokofiev/Konchalovsky/Tsypin
WAR AND PEACE**
With Anna Netrebko, Gegam Grigorian and Vladimir Moroz
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

Wednesday, May 7
ORCHESTRA OF THE MARIINSKY THEATRE
Shostakovich Festive Overture
Glazunov Violin Concerto
Mahler Symphony No. 7
Soloist: Vadim Repin
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

Thursday, May 8
WORLD ORCHESTRA FOR PEACE
Strauss Don Juan
Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4 "Italian"
Shostakovich Symphony No. 10
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

Friday, May 9
BALLETS BY SHOSTAKOVICH *
The Young Girl and the Hooligan
Klop (The Bedbug)
Leningrad Symphony

Saturday, May 10
Petipa/Tchaikovsky
SWAN LAKE *
Zakharova, Kolb

Sunday, May 11
Tchaikovsky/Leiser & Caurier
12:00 EUGENE ONEGIN **
(new production)

Petipa/Adam
20:00: GISELLE*
Vishneva,Ruzimatov

Tuesday, May 13
Prokofiev/Alexandrov
SEMYON KOTKO **

Wednesday, May 14
Zakharov/Asafiev
FOUNTAIN OF BAKHCHISARAI *

SMOLNY CLOISTER
SINFONIETTA CRACOVIA
Penderecki Sinfonietta for Strings
Mozart Piano Concerto in A, KV 488
Beethoven Symphony No. 3
Soloist: Christoph Eschenbach
Conducted by John Axelrod

Thursday, May 15
Petipa/Tchaikovsky
SWAN LAKE*
Pavlenko, Korsuntsev

Friday, May 16
Petit/Bizet, Balanchine/Stravinsky, Balanchine/Prokofiev
CARMEN, APOLLO, PRODIGAL SON *

Saturday, May 17
Petipa/Minkus
DON QUIXOTE *

Sunday, May 18 & Monday, May 19
CENTRAL BALLET OF CHINA
RAISE THE RED LANTERN
Director: Zhang Yimou

SMOLNY CLOISTER
ISRAEL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Mahler Symphony No. 3
Conductor: Zubin Mehta

Tuesday, May 20
Ratmansky/Prokofiev
CINDERELLA *

Wednesday, May 21
Lavrovsky/Prokofiev
ROMEO AND JULIET *

SMOLNY CLOISTER
ORCHESTRE DES CHAMPS-ELYSÉES
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7
Conducted by Philippe Herreweghe

Thursday, May 22
AN EVENING OF PROKOFIEV
Maddalena - Opera (semi-staged)**
Prodigal Son - choreography by Balanchine*

SMOLNY CLOISTER
ZAGREB PHILHARMONIC

Friday, May 23
Musorgsky/Alexandrov
18.00 KHOVANSHCHINA **
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

Saturday, May 24
Verdi/McVicar
20.00 MACBETH **
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

SMOLNY CLOISTER
COLLEGIUM VOCALE GENT
15.00 Bach: Mass in b minor
Conducted by Philippe Herreweghe

Sunday, May 25
12:00 ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS OF THE MARIINSKY
Mahler: Symphony No. 2
Anna Netrebko (soprano), Olga Borodina (mezzo soprano)
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

Petipa/Tchaikovsky
20:00 SWAN LAKE*

Monday, May 26
From the Archives of the Mariinsky:
HISTORIC BALLETS *

Tuesday, May 27
Tchaikovsky/Galybin
THE QUEEN OF SPADES **
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

Wednesday, May 28
Petipa/Tchaikovsky
SLEEPING BEAUTY *

Thursday, May 29
MET ORCHESTRA
Mahler Symphony No.1
Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Conducted by James Levine

Friday, May 30
'300 YEARS of ST PETERSBURG' GALA
with Olga Borodina, Renée Fleming, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Uliana Lopatkina, Karita Mattila, Anna Netrebko, Bryn Terfel, Diana Vishneva, Svetlana Zakharova, Farukh Ruzimatov, Igor Zelensky and others
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

Saturday, May 31
12:00 MET ORCHESTRA
Berlioz La Mort de Cleopatra
Brahms Double Concerto
Rachmaninov Third Piano Concerto
Soloists: Olga Borodina (mezzo soprano)
David Chan (violin), Rafael Figueroa (cello)
Arcadi Volodos (piano)
Conducted by James Levine

Petipa/Adam
19:00 GISELLE *

Sunday, June 1
Shostakovitch/Molostova/Tsypin
19:00 LADY MACBETH **
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

Monday, June 2
ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS OF THE MARIINSKY
Tchaikovsky Fantasy Overture Romeo and Juliet
Berlioz Romeo et Juliette
Prokofiev Suite from Romeo and Juliet
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

June 3, 6 & 9
Verdi/Roubaud
LA TRAVIATA (new production)**
With Anna Netrebko in the title role
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

Thursday, June 5
Rubinstein/Dodin
THE DEMON **
Nikitin,
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

Saturday, June 7
BALLET GALA
FRANKFURT BALLET, William Forsythe

SMOLNY CLOISTER
ROTTERDAM PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Berlioz Requiem
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

Sunday, June 8
12:00 ROTTERDAM PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Mahler Symphony No. 6
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

19:00 PARSIFAL**
Conducted by Christoph Eschenbach

Tuesday, June 10
Petipa/Minkus
LA BAYADERE *

SMOLNY CLOISTER
LAHTI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Sibelius Pohola's Daughter
Aho Symphony No. 9
Sibelius Symphony No. 5
Soloist: Christian Lindberg

VYBORG CASTLE
Verdi
AIDA**
Conducted by Gianandrea Noseda

Wednesday, June 11
VYBORG CASTLE
SWEDISH RADIO ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS
LAHTI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
MARIINSKY ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS
Verdi Requiem
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

Thursday, June 12
SWEDISH RADIO ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS
Brahms Requiem
Conducted by Manfred Honeck

June 13, 14, 15 & 16
Wagner/Mirzoev/Tsypin
DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN (new production)**
Cast includes: Vladimir Vaneev, Viktor Chernomortsev, Olga Sergeeva, Gary Rideout
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

Friday, June 13
22:00 SMOLNY CLOISTER
SWEDISH RADIO CHORUS

Saturday, June 14
14:00 ORCHESTRA OF THE NATIONS
Conducted by Justus Frantz

Sunday, June 15
14:00 MARIINSKY YOUNG PHILHARMONIC
Mahler Symphony No. 5
Conducted by Gianandrea Noseda

Tuesday, June 17
Leontiev, Fokine, Nijinsky
20:00 STRAVINSKY BALLETS **
Petrushka, Firebird, Rite of Spring
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

Wednesday, June 18
Cimarosa/Miller, Stravinsky/Miller
CLEOPATRA/OEDIPUS REX**
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

Thursday, June 19
MELBOURNE SYMPHONY
Sibelius Violin Concerto
Lentz Guyuhmgan
Strauss Tod und Verklärung

Friday, June 20
Musorgsky/Kramer/Tsypin
BORIS GODUNOV **
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

Smolny Cloister
MELBOURNE SYMPHONY
Kancheli Fingerprints
Mahler Symphony No. 4
Soloist: Anna Netrebko

Saturday, June 21
ORCHESTRA OF THE MARIINSKY THEATRE
Salonen Worldpremiere
Shostakovitch Piano Concerto No. 1
Stravinsky Rite of Springs
Soloist: Alexander Toradze
Conducted by Esa Pekka Salonen

Petipa/Tchaikovsky
SWAN LAKE *

Sunday, June 22
14.00 BAMBERGER SYMPHONIKER
Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra
Strauss Horn Concerto
Strauss Till Eulenspiegel
Soloist: Marie Luise Neunecker
Conducted by Jonathan Nott

BALLET GALA *
In honor of Olga Moiseeva
55 Years - A life with the Mariinsky
Zakharova, Makhalina, Mezanskaia, Nioradze

Monday, June 23
ORCHESTRA OF THE MARIINSKY THEATRE
Wagner Siegfried Idyll
Pfitzner Violin Concerto
Mahler Symphony No. 9
Soloist: Rainer Kuechel
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

Tuesday, June 24
IVANGOROD FORTRESS
13:00: A CAPELLA CONCERT
Chorus of the Mariinsky Theatre
Russian Church Music
18:00: CHORUS AND ORCHESTRA OF THE MARIINSKY THEATRE, CHORUS AND ORCHESTRA OF THE ESTONIAN STATE OPERA,
Beethoven Symphony No. 9
Conducted by Valery Gergiev
22:00: PRINCE IGOR (staged performance)**

MARIINSKY THEATRE
BALLET GALA
STARS OF THE PARIS OPERA BALLET

Wednesday, June 25
NARVI
13:00: A CAPELLA CONCERT
Chorus of the Estonian State Opera
21:00: OPERA GALA

MARIINSKY THEATRE
Simonov/Slonimsky
Libretto and design by Mikhail Chemiakin
18:00 PRINCESS PIRLIPAT (Worthiness Punished)*

Simonov/ Tchaikovsky
Design by Mikhail Chemiakin
22:00 THE NUTCRACKER *

Thursday, June 26
ORCHESTRA and CHORUS OF THE MARIINSKY
Berlioz La Damnation de Faust
Conducted by Gianandrea Noseda

Friday, June 27
STRAVINSKY BALLETS*
Firebird, Les Noces, Rite of Spring
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

Saturday, June 28
VIENNA PHILHARMONIC (matinee)
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

MARIINSKY 'WHITE NIGHTS' BALL

Sunday, June 29
15:00: Small Philharmonic Hall
VIENNA STREICHSOLISTEN
Bach Double Concerto for 2 violins and strngs, and basso continuo
Staar Metamorphosis of a Labyrinth (world premiere)
Mozart
J. Strauss
Soloists: Manfred Honeck, Sergei Levitin (Bach)
Renee Staar (Staar)

WHITE NIGHTS' PREMIERE
TchaikovskyPountney
THE ENCHANTRESS**
Vaneev, Sergeeva, Savova, Chernomortsev
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

Monday, June 30
Puccini/Le Moli
IL TRITTICO
TABARRO, SUOR ANGELICA, GIANNI SCHICCHI
Conducted by Gianandrea Noseda

Tuesday, July 1
MOSCOW SOLOISTS
Conducted by Yuri Bashmet

Wednesday, July 2
FILARMONICA DELLA SCALA
Conducted by Riccardo Muti

July 9 - 13
HAMBURG BALLET, John Neumeier

July 16 - 28
THE ROYAL BALLET, Covent Garden
Swan Lake, Mayerling and Triple Bill

July 30 - August 4
NEW YORK CITY BALLET


* = Ballet of the Mariinsky Theatre (Kirov Ballet)
** = Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre (Kirov Opera)
Unless otherwise stated, all performances start at 19:00 in the Mariinsky Theatre
Programme correct at time of printing but may be subject to change

The programme has been changed slightly, from what I've heard.

<small>[ 31 March 2003, 11:03 AM: Message edited by: Kevin Ng ]</small>

The entire programme is now listed on the Kirov website.

http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/festivals

An article covering all aspects of the Festival, including ballet:

mariinsky ready for musical overload
by Galina Stolyarova for the St Petersburg Times

The ballet feast gets under way with the Hamburg, Germany-based John Neumeier Ballet performing Neumeier's "Nijinsky" on July 8 and 9, "The Seagull" on July 11, 12 and 14, and "La Dame aux Camelias" on July 15. Then comes the Royal Ballet from London's Covent Garden, which will bring several shows, including "Swan Lake," "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Month in the Country" from July 18 to 28, before the New York City Ballet wraps up the whole festival with performances of ballets by Georges Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, among others, from July 30 to Aug. 5.

click for more

A short piece about the 300th Anniversary programme:

Mariinsky Theatre and Hermitage Museum to сelebrate St. Petersburg's 300th anniversary together
From PetersburgCity.com

The State Hermitage Museum and the Mariinsky (Kirov) Theatre yesterday signed a cooperation agreement. Mikhail Piotrovsky and Valery Gergiev, the heads of two of Russia's most famous cultural institutions, put their signatures to the document, which sets out a programme of joint events to celebrate St. Petersburg's 300th anniversary....

....According to Piotrovsky, the main joint project will be a free ballet performance by the Mariinsky's stars on Palace Square in St. Petersburg on May 28, 2003.

click for more

<small>[ 24 May 2003, 05:18 AM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

There are reviews of the ballet performances of the Festival, posted by NO7 on Ballet.co.

http://www.ballet.co.uk/magazines/yr_03/jun03/no_rev_kirov_0503.htm

http://www.danze.co.uk/dcforum/happening/3656.html

<small>[ 01 June 2003, 07:52 PM: Message edited by: Kevin Ng ]</small>

Here is a short report of the Gala in the Mariinsky Theatre on 30 May which was broadcast on BBC last night. Uliana Lopatkina has finally returned to the stage, dancing the Dying Swan.

http://www.300spb.ru/enews-item.html?id=201

And another report on the ballet performance provided by President Putin for the visiting heads of state at the Peterhof Palace with its many fountains.

http://www.300spb.ru/enews-item.html?id=321

<small>[ 01 June 2003, 07:49 AM: Message edited by: Kevin Ng ]</small>

On Monday the Kirov will premiere "Les Noces" and "Le Sacre du Printemps", which London audiences will be able to see in the third week of their Covent Garden season in early August.

http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/afisha/20030609-2